The Herb King

239 Failure

While Aenwyn was preparing to lead a group of soldiers to closely monitor Brian’s movements, Aethelwolf was busy refining some pills. Most of the pills he was refining this time were enhancing pills that could increase the level of the consumer. He needed a large amount of this pill since he was planning to make enough pills for fifty thousand people!

This time, Aethelwolf wanted nothing more than to strengthen his own force. The threat that the Zion Empire posed was huge and this made him feel a sense of anxiety in his heart. The only respite was that he still have some time to nurture his force before the army of the Zion Empire arrives.

“I should make some life-preserving skills while I’m at it...” He muttered to himself as he took a moment of rest. He had just refined a batch of pills and it had consumed a bit of his world essence.

Aethelwolf contemplated deeply into which skill he would make. “I should try making a revival skill...” He muttered as he willed his thoughts, but when he tried to form the idea of the revival skill into his mind, he suddenly felt a sharp prickling pain that almost made him fall from his seat.

“W-What was that?! It actually failed...” He muttered in disbelief.

Aethelwolf grabbed a Recovery Pellet and threw it into his mouth. The stinging sensation in his head slowly subsided after a short moment of ingesting the pill.

“I’ll try one more time...” He said as he slowly gathered his thoughts. This time, he was seriously visualizing the skill in his mind.

However, when he was about to reach the final step of visualizing the skill, he felt a sharp pain.

“Argh!” He clutched his head with both hands. It was so painful that it felt like his head was being stabbed by thousands of needles.

.....

He ingested another Recovery Pellet and it took a much longer time before the pain subsided.

Aethelwolf realized that there was a limit to the skills he could make. He thought that he could create overpowered skills now that he was a Level 4 Esper, but from the looks of it, skills that go against the balance of this world couldn’t be created. This made his face turn sour.

After a long time of resting, Aethelwolf propped himself up. He was hasty and he paid a painful price for it. “I’ll focus on the pills first.” He said with a wry smile.

***

Aenwyn chose to strongest soldiers among the people suggested by Einar. After filtering them, there were about fifty men who were chosen by her.

“I want half of you to observe the movements in the Linaza Household.” Aenwyn said while looking at the soldiers with a calm gaze.

The soldiers glanced at each other before they divided into two groups.

Seeing this, Aenwyn nodded her head in satisfaction. She then pointed at one group and said. “You guys will be heading to the territory of the Linaza Household, but make sure that no one would sense your presence. Don’t underestimate this force just because they are a merchant family. We only recently discovered that the Linaza Household’s strength is not any weaker than the top noble households especially their family head, Brian Linaza. That man is only hiding his power and Sir Aethelwolf told me that he is a peak stage Level 4 Esper! You guys have to be careful once you enter his domain.”

The soldiers were shocked when they heard this. They only knew that Brian Linaza was a rich merchant with businesses scattered in the Leone Empire. They never knew that he was actually a terrifying expert! This information was hard to believe, but since Aenwyn said that she learned it from Sir Aethelwolf, their doubts disappeared right away. For them, Aethelwolf was a mighty figure and they treat his words like gold.

“If you notice any strange movements from their side or if you see Brian Linaza exiting his domain, inform me immediately. Use this rune to communicate with me.” Aenwyn said as she handed a Communication Rune to the group.

“Go!”

Half of the soldiers immediately left after hearing her command.

Soon, there were only twenty-five soldiers left.

Aenwyn stared at the remaining soldiers calmly and said. “The rest of you will follow me to the Great Noxus River. We might be staying there for a few days so you guys better prepare yourself.”

“Yes, Miss Aenwyn!” The soldiers said in unison.

“Let’s go!”

***

One day later, in the estate of the Linaza Household.

Brian was facing a hundred soldiers with a stern look on his face. This was the elite force he nurtured and all of them were Level 2 Espers. There were also five Level 3 Espers among them. He still had more soldiers at his disposal, but bringing more would only make things conspicuous. He didn’t want anyone else to know his actions so he could only bring a small unit with him.

“All of you are the elites of the Linaza Household. This time, we will be heading to the Great Noxus River to find the traces of an elven kingdom. The elves possess something that I desire and our goal is to take it from them. This mission will be dangerous since the elves are very strong beings. However, once we’ve completed the mission, I will grant all of you the most luxurious treatment!” Brian Linaza said as he scanned the soldiers in front of him. When they heard his words, their expressions suddenly brightened.

Brian Linaza was a very generous leader so when he said that he would give them the most luxurious treatment, they became excited.

“Boss, what are we taking from the elves?” One of the soldiers asked. His question attracted everyone’s attention and they all stared at Brian in anticipation. No one wanted to miss this opportunity.

The corner of Brian’s lips curved upwards as he replied. “I’ll tell you once we arrive in the Great Noxus River. You guys get ready. We will leave at night!”

“Yes, Boss!”